Valdis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
redlightgreenlight) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
come_sailaway2023-12-30 05:37 pm
redlightgreenlight) wrote in come_sailaway2023-12-30 05:37 pm
Regrets Collect like old Friends
Who: Valdis and Open with Some Closed
What: Valdis does stuff around the Serena Eterna, feel free to join her
When: January and aftermath of the village
Where: All over
Warnings: In each starter
And all of the ghouls come out to play | Erin | CW: Discussion of the Village
The one person she hasn’t seen since early on is the one person she’s most ashamed to see. With a small knock on her lover’s door, Valdis almost hopes she doesn’t answer, it would give her more time to actually figure out what to say, but she’d apparently been avoiding everyone for three days, and Erin deserves better than that.
“Erin?”
And every demon wants his pound of flesh | Pool | Open | CW: Discussion of the Village
It’s quiet under the water. No one to bother her. No feelings to overtake her own. She can be alone with her thoughts and how her actions at the village had hurt others. For a time it had been fun, and in the end they had won by killing him, but she still feels like she lost. She lost because she stopped paying attention to what mattered.
She releases bubbles from her mouth, watching them rise up to the surface. She’s lost count of the minutes she’s been sitting on the bottom of the pool, but she can see a figure looking down. Probably time to go up for actual air. She pushes off the bottom and swims up to the edge. It’s not that far.
“Hey,” she says after she breaks the surface. “The water is pretty nice.”
But I like to keep some things to myself | Pillow Pit | Open | CW: None
Valdis sits in the pillow pit, leaning on one hip with her feet curled up next to her. She’s reading Sherlock Holmes again, the books she always goes back to. The books she’s read three or four times since she first arrived over a year ago. It’s funny how finding comfort in the small things helps so much.
“You are welcome to come join me,” she says without looking up from her book when someone walks in. “Just no pillow fights.”
I like to keep my issues drawn | Sand Dollar | Open | CW: None
Behind the counter at Sand Dollar, Valdis is perfecting the art of foam. Like actually trying to create hearts and flowers from the foam in the espresso machine.
“Drawing is so much easier than this,” she signs, setting aside something that looks more like a skull than a heart.
“Here,” She shoves it across the counter to whoever happens to walk in. “I promise it tastes better than it looks.”
It's always darkest before the dawn | Wildcard | CW: None
Pm to discuss or just go for it
After the Launch
And I’m Damned if I do, and I’m Damned if I don’t | The Library | CW: None
The Bible, a book of demonology and some script covered in runes lie on one of the tables in the otherwise empty library. Valdis mutters to herself as she reads from another version of the bible, leaning over the other and comparing the two versions before making more notes in some sort of dead language. More pages, absolutely covered in runes and sketches cover every single surface.
“No need to stare,” she says, not looking up to see who has entered.
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road | Stan the Man | CW: None
Unlike the last several times she’s been in this particular mood, the only thing in her glass is water. The water glass is the only thing she’s even made use of, the bottles of alcohol on the shelves and behind the bar are untouched.
Revelations hangs on her hip, the first time she’s seen fit to carry the sword in months. Somehow it seems the better weapon to use should an attacker show up, a weapon tied to her and her soul in a way no one could possibly understand. Maybe she needs to lean more into who she should be instead of who she wants to be.
With a long sigh, she takes a drink of water, then picks up a small knife and flings it at the mirror behind the bar sink. It shatters into hundreds of shining, reflective pieces, but the tip of the knife stays buried in the wall about half an inch deep.
“Wasn’t even trying that hard.” She says to herself, taking another drink from the glass.
Looking for Heaven, Found the Devil In Me | Wildcard
PM to Discuss or just go for it.
What: Valdis does stuff around the Serena Eterna, feel free to join her
When: January and aftermath of the village
Where: All over
Warnings: In each starter
And all of the ghouls come out to play | Erin | CW: Discussion of the Village
The one person she hasn’t seen since early on is the one person she’s most ashamed to see. With a small knock on her lover’s door, Valdis almost hopes she doesn’t answer, it would give her more time to actually figure out what to say, but she’d apparently been avoiding everyone for three days, and Erin deserves better than that.
“Erin?”
And every demon wants his pound of flesh | Pool | Open | CW: Discussion of the Village
It’s quiet under the water. No one to bother her. No feelings to overtake her own. She can be alone with her thoughts and how her actions at the village had hurt others. For a time it had been fun, and in the end they had won by killing him, but she still feels like she lost. She lost because she stopped paying attention to what mattered.
She releases bubbles from her mouth, watching them rise up to the surface. She’s lost count of the minutes she’s been sitting on the bottom of the pool, but she can see a figure looking down. Probably time to go up for actual air. She pushes off the bottom and swims up to the edge. It’s not that far.
“Hey,” she says after she breaks the surface. “The water is pretty nice.”
But I like to keep some things to myself | Pillow Pit | Open | CW: None
Valdis sits in the pillow pit, leaning on one hip with her feet curled up next to her. She’s reading Sherlock Holmes again, the books she always goes back to. The books she’s read three or four times since she first arrived over a year ago. It’s funny how finding comfort in the small things helps so much.
“You are welcome to come join me,” she says without looking up from her book when someone walks in. “Just no pillow fights.”
I like to keep my issues drawn | Sand Dollar | Open | CW: None
Behind the counter at Sand Dollar, Valdis is perfecting the art of foam. Like actually trying to create hearts and flowers from the foam in the espresso machine.
“Drawing is so much easier than this,” she signs, setting aside something that looks more like a skull than a heart.
“Here,” She shoves it across the counter to whoever happens to walk in. “I promise it tastes better than it looks.”
It's always darkest before the dawn | Wildcard | CW: None
Pm to discuss or just go for it
After the Launch
And I’m Damned if I do, and I’m Damned if I don’t | The Library | CW: None
The Bible, a book of demonology and some script covered in runes lie on one of the tables in the otherwise empty library. Valdis mutters to herself as she reads from another version of the bible, leaning over the other and comparing the two versions before making more notes in some sort of dead language. More pages, absolutely covered in runes and sketches cover every single surface.
“No need to stare,” she says, not looking up to see who has entered.
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road | Stan the Man | CW: None
Unlike the last several times she’s been in this particular mood, the only thing in her glass is water. The water glass is the only thing she’s even made use of, the bottles of alcohol on the shelves and behind the bar are untouched.
Revelations hangs on her hip, the first time she’s seen fit to carry the sword in months. Somehow it seems the better weapon to use should an attacker show up, a weapon tied to her and her soul in a way no one could possibly understand. Maybe she needs to lean more into who she should be instead of who she wants to be.
With a long sigh, she takes a drink of water, then picks up a small knife and flings it at the mirror behind the bar sink. It shatters into hundreds of shining, reflective pieces, but the tip of the knife stays buried in the wall about half an inch deep.
“Wasn’t even trying that hard.” She says to herself, taking another drink from the glass.
Looking for Heaven, Found the Devil In Me | Wildcard
PM to Discuss or just go for it.
no subject
"Tell me what I'm missing." Ash says before running through what he knows now. "Tiamat is not contained. We know of at least one time maybe two where she took over...or asserted herself. Recently. You woke up three days after everyone else with a new scar after being photographed with a warlock outside the morgue. So that means you did wake up on the ship when we returned from the village and then something happened." He fixes her with a concerned and loving stare. "And you are in pain."
His fingers tap on the pages of runes and sketches. "Are you drawing these from a book or from memory?"
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"Both?" she says, not sure why he's asking. "Most of them are just notes taken in a way most people can't read. The sketches are memories. People. Places. These." she pulls a sketch with runes that are different, clearly not notes as they are drawn larger. "Are from my house back home. They are similar to Enochian, but I can't translate them."
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"Do you think there are answers in these books or in these runes?" His eyes drift back to her. "None of these are on your body are they?"
He has seen bodies carved with runes by Infernalists to mark a person for possession. Basically a homing beacon for a demon. They are probably searching in the wrong library. Not that he thinks this Maxwell guy has a library in his room but maybe some books or journals. If he was the one who did something to Valdis he likely isn't going to tell them what he did.
"I'm guessing this Maxwell guy isn't going to tell you anything. Let's break into his room. We're looking in the wrong books."
no subject
Which was new, but it does feel like something is cutting into her over and over again.
"That's what it feels like though," she says quietly. "Like it's healing and then being sliced open again."
But there's no bruising, nothing on her skin, nothing that might indicate an internal injury either.
"I don't feel comfortable targeting Maxwell when it might be Tiamat's doing. We might need him and his powers on our side if what the Captain thinks is coming really is as dangerous as he thinks."
no subject
"I'm guessing there is no safe way to talk to Tiamat?" He snorts. "As if she would tell us anything."
Now he sees why she is in here going insane. Where the fuck do they start? Ash is very comfortable targeting Maxwell but he won't. Not yet.
"What does the Captain think is coming?" Setting the sketch of the runes down he picks up his 'coffee' and drinks half of it.
no subject
"The Captain wasn't exactly forthcoming, but he thinks we can't win. He's given up, believes he'll be enslaved and the rest of us killed. Except...well, me, of course. If I'm right about still being immortal."
She's not interested in living like that, or in pain like this.
"I told him we would all fight together, that we could win, but I'm less certain about that as time passes."
It's only been a few days, but lines are being formed.
no subject
"I don't know what the fuck is happening on this ship." He mutters to himself.
This ship is such a strange conflict for him internally. He has found so much happiness and love. Yet feels useless. Unable to do anything to protect the happiness he has found and the people it us connected to.
"We'll fight together. Of course we will."
That isn't the part that worries him.
"Right now, you're pain is my priority. What are you looking for in these runes?"
no subject
She slams her book shut and stands up to walk down one of the aisles.
"All of this is fiction. There's no way to actually research anything. I feel like the answer is right in front of me but I don't know what it is. I have no idea what Tiamat gains. No idea how Maxwell is involved, or if he even is. I told Crichton I would talk to him, but that was before our fight and." she gestures to the entire room trying to indicate all the chaos that has taken place. "All this."
Valdis takes a breath.
"I haven't told Erin or Max about the pain. Crichton doesn't know either and he has enough issues without that weighing on him too."
She turns down another aisle.
"I really do feel like I'm finally losing my mind."
no subject
He gets up and meets her head on when she heads down the next aisle. Ash doesn't reach out to touch her just walks towards her pushing her back with his body.
"They don't need to know about the pain, yet. You aren't losing your mind. You are thinking about too much."
Every sentence he takes a step towards her.
"Stop." He curls a hand around her arm. "Stop holding back. Stop following the rules. We'll all be okay if you think about yourself first for once."
His eyes drop to her chest, to where that scar is. "The pattern of a rune is meant to direct magical energy in a specific direction. To channel it toward a purpose. Breaking the pattern can destroy the hold it has. Is the scar just a scar or something more? Is there anyone on this ship who can look further?"
no subject
"Please let go."
She knows he will, but waits until he complies before continuing.
"There used to be, but he's been gone for months."
Palamedes...she misses him terribly.
"And it's just a scar. It's cold like the scar from Revelations, probably because it was caused by a similar weapon."
no subject
Ash nods short and curt and drops his hand, then takes a step back. Then another. Until he is back at the table.
Shaking his head he lets out a frustrated breath. "It's not just a scar, Valdis. You said it feels like it keeps getting ripped open. You are in pain."
He sighs again. "How was it caused by a similar weapon when it appeared after the Village?" Ash glanced back in her direction. "I thought the Captain has the daggers."
no subject
"The pain is not coming from that point, Ash. This scar is related to when Harvey stabbed me. Siffleur calls them 'death taxes,' so what I am trying to get across is that those texts I didn't answer? I was not alive to see them. I do not know what happened with Maxwell, maybe he killed in self defense, maybe Tiamat did something, but the scar is not related to the pain."
no subject
He was trying to connect all the dots. Find some connection that might make it make sense or give direction to search in. When he was killed and woke up there was a scar, he assumed the death tax has to do with the death that killed you. That hasn't been explained to him. The only knowledge he has is what he experienced.
"Sorry I interrupted what you were doing."
With a blank piece of paper he starts to jot down smaller versions of the runes scattered all over the table. Next to the designs he writes groups of words. Possible translations for each of them. He is quiet and thoughtful as he doodles the runes and lets his mind process the possibilities.
no subject
Valdis grits her teeth again. He doesn't seem to understand how frustrated she is and is turning his own feelings against her again. Max says he doesn't mean to, that she needs to be patient with him, but there's only so much patience she can have when Siffleur says she smells funny and her chest hurts so badly. It's not even the surface, it's like it's underneath her skin and bones.
He says it's ok to put herself first, so why is he giving her the exact opposite feelings? They all say it, but they don't really mean it, they never have.
"I don't think you're stupid."
no subject
His eyes stay on the paper as he continues to write.
"Where is the pain coming from?"
no subject
"It's near the scars, but underneath them, not coming from them."
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Flipping the paper over be continues to write. He glances in her direction.
"Could you come closer, please?" A quick pause. "I won't touch you. There's just...something off."
no subject
"You could just ask."
It's not like she hasn't noticed.
no subject
It's not in his head. Opening his eyes he shifted back into his chair.
"What do you smell?"
no subject
"A dying animal."
Something she would hunt, something any predator would go after.
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"As far as I can tell, everything is working like normal," she complains, but she gets up and walks around the table, not bothering to push her notes out of the way before sitting on the table next to his chair.
no subject
"Everything sounds...normal."
He doesn't have a lab here. Or the extensive library in his office. There is no wifi.
Shifting back he looks down at the page covered in his writing. Ash scoots it to her. "That's as close as I could get on a translation. Maybe it will help."
no subject
"I'm sorry, Ash." She picks up the piece of paper. "I just don't know what to do...it's why I feel like I'm going crazy."
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